California Fish and Game Commission has gone rogue

In addition to its breathtaking cinematography and wrenching story line, “The Revenant” is a masterful film that offers a potent reminder about the savagery of Mother Nature. The film runs counter to our Disney culture and the propaganda of animal rights extremists, who would have you believe bears, coyotes and bobcats are cuddly creatures who want to be our friends.

Wild animals are just that: wild. They tear flesh. They attack. They don’t care about our feelings, intentions or public safety.

Just look at the increase in wild coyote attacks in the Bay Area and Southern California, where a coyote entered a baby’s bedroom and snatched the family dog. Unfortunately, too many people have forgotten this reality and the need for proven predator management policies. This collective amnesia has become so pronounced that it is undermining the credibility and fundamental role of California’s Fish and Game Commission.

As The Chronicle recently reported, Commissioner Jim Kellogg resigned out of frustration that he was fighting a losing battle against the antihunting movement, which ignores that California’s 2 million hunting and fishing licenses generate nearly $27 million in annual support for wildlife conservation. The activists contribute nothing to these efforts but a policy to promote emotion over wildlife biology.

Exhibit A: last year’s vote to ban the trapping of bobcats, which prey on household pets and livestock, goats and lambs in rural areas of the state.

The decision circumvented the will of the Legislature and governor, who approved a 2013 measure to manage the bobcat populations near national and state parks. During the legislative process, a total ban was discussed and rejected in favor of a more thoughtful approach.

To his credit, the governor underscored in his bill signing that a comprehensive survey of bobcat populations should be conducted to assist in establishing appropriate bobcat regulations. He invited the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Legislature to pursue funding. This never happened.

Instead, the majority of the commissioners — cozy with animal rights activists — voted on a complete trapping ban that eliminates the most effective way to manage bobcats. This decision did not involve the required environmental review, ironically.

The Chronicle story also failed to mention huge ethical problems, including commissioners refusing to sign or update conflict-of-interest papers. One commissioner served for four years after his term expired. Another, Michael Sutton, was portrayed as an avid hunter and fisherman. In reality, he’s the executive director of Audubon California and did not disclose his conflict when voting on measures his employer lobbied before him.

A primary responsibility of government is to protect the public and provide transparency. Californians should urge the governor to launch an investigation into the commission’s votes and prior policy decisions. He needs to rein in this rogue commission with a top-down review and commit to appointing new commissioners who understand the realities of Mother Nature. The public and wildlife are depending on it.